It’s that time of year here in Somerset, U.K where for a couple of weeks at the start of October, the local art world throws open their doors at selected venues and even their homes, to showcase their talents.

Claudia Gunton’s exhibition opened on Friday evening, with a private viewing at the Market House in Castle Cary.

Claudia’s most recent collection depicts the Beech tree. Inspired by her local landscape and with influences such as Arthur Rackham, her pieces take on an ethereal, surreal quality at first glance. Step back a little and you might start to consider that there is Impressionist feel to some of the smaller paintings. But then draw closer and examine the detail, and incredible depth and texture unfolds before your very eyes. The pieces have great strength; they command your reverence of the subject matter.

I asked Claudia how her journey assembling the collection had evolved .

She said:

‘It’s a combination of influences. On the simplest level it starts with how incredible it feels to have a tiny tube of paint and be able to create something so meaningful from that – how paint itself is so powerful. Then it’s how you can turn the spectator’s attention to the tree, make them see it in a different way, help them understand it from a different perspective and find a unique, experience from it. When you photograph trees and spend time looking at them, you capture your own deeply personal feeling about them, but painting them means you can elaborate and bring something unique for others to discover.’

Claudia’s exhibition runs until 18th October and is open Saturdays and Sundays 11am – 6pm, Tuesdays 9am -2pm and Fridays 12pm -6pm and is also showing some photography.